Bear Down Wildcats

dirtbags wrote:what time is our first game? looks like we play early, but i'm hoping it's as late as possible

We will know tonight.

This guys a jackass. Using injuries to justify stuff and completely ignoring what we went through.

Irish27 wrote:

dirtbags wrote:what time is our first game? looks like we play early, but i'm hoping it's as late as possible

We will know tonight.

thanks @irish

hoping we're not the noon game or the truTV game

rgdeuce wrote:This guys a jackass. Using injuries to justify stuff and completely ignoring what we went through.

The head of the selection committee? I turned it as soon as I saw that tool's grinning face.

OTOH, we had Trier (for 30 minutes, at least) and still couldn't beat Oregon, which we should have if anybody on this team besides Trier was a reliable enough shooter.

Guys like he, Zeus, York and the grad transfers have one last shot to prove Arizona is a better team than perceived this year.

We were wishing all year that the team would get shipped out of the West. Well, we got our wish.

Seth Davis picking a team that lost to Arizona freaking State going to a FF in Oregon's region... Not a clue.

gottleib with cal in the FF!

Chuck is the only one who believes in Oregon. What a bunch of dumbasses.

Fuck everyone else in the PAC hope they all lose the first weekend. go cats.

Calipari lighting up the committee on seeding. Making a lot of sense. He says it's always a moving target and miss seeded teams hurt other teams who play them and he gave the example of his team beating a 31-0 Wichita St team in the second round

no way, i hope the entire p12 kills (with UA going the deepest, of course) and the big12 all lose in the first weekend

http://www.ncaa.com/news/ncaa/article/2 ... division-i" target="_blank

So we will be playing the late game on the east coast? Might be a little bit of an advantage playing at what would be roughly 630pm on our internal clocks

OK, so Cats have last game in the evening, which means this a total ratings seed as NYCat said.

I already see I'm going to have to watch it on mute between Chris Webber and Len Elmore on the call.

Watch us win then have to play Miami at 9 a.m. MST.

catgrad97 wrote:
Otherwise you've got the first team to lose to a play-in winner, a thought you can't say isn't on Miller's mind right now.

Are you talking about an Arizona team? Because lots of teams have lost to play-in game winners. VCU went all the way
to the Final Four one year after a play-in game.

I expect tip off to be around 920 eastern on Thursday night.

TNT

Providence IV

Arizona vs. Vanderbilt/Wichita State

Ian Eagle/Chris Webber

after the first game which is 6:50 pm ET

So I'm guessing the Arizona game will be a 9:20pm -/+ ET tipoff (unless there's OT, or the game runs long)

enfield was just on the local news. seemed pleased with sc's draw and excited to start dancing. first game vs. providence should be exciting, though i don't like the media using UofA as a benchmark since kaleb was injured at the time

So we have only 4 guys with tourney game experience while Trier, Tolly, CC, Ryan Anderson and Kadeem Anderson will be new to this.

Hope they are ready

Yes, first Arizona team, and no doubt he's running that through a few heads the next couple days.

This team's effort is so much like a radio signal that I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Arizona lead by double digits at half only to lose in OT. I don't expect, with our dubious FT shooting and guard defense, these Cats to suddenly put together a complete game now.

And to expect anything less and do anything with it in the NCAA is just fooling yourself.

Cats play Thursday night.
https://www.sny.tv/college-recruiting/n ... /167362382" target="_blank

LSU turned down the NIT.

Hope whatever Ben Simmons got was worth it. Good choice Craig Victor.

Sweet late game Thursday!

Btw what is a ratings seed?

CST, it just means that teams were seeded for the biggest potential television audience, not to draw the most fans to the subregional or regional venues.

We're seeing the first full evidence of TV driving NCAA tournament seeds, and I don't like it one bit.

Not just because of how it tosses Arizona around, but because of the blue bloods with dubious resumes allowed in over teams with superior regular seasons.

azcat49 wrote:So we have only 4 guys with tourney game experience while Trier, Tolly, CC, Ryan Anderson and Kadeem Anderson will be new to this.

Hope they are ready

RA and tolly have a little bit of postseason experience in the NIT. oh well. but CSM's been there and done that a number of times, and that'll help carry even an inexperienced team a bunch

I hate to say it but I just don't think this team is going to surprise this year.

I think we'll follow our well entrenched trend of sporadic poor outside shooting and mystifying defensive lapses.

That Arizona across our chest this year just won't carry as much power as in the past. The exciting and thankful part is, this is a down year and we should still win our first two games.

I think the reason we're a later game is we are playing a play in team and they are giving them more time to rest up.

Does anyone know if Miller will be on any of these shows tonight? Maybe the pac 12 preview?

I actually like our draw and see a clean path to the sweet 16. Not sure what all the drama is about. At best we're a 5 seed, so...

UAEebs86 wrote:LSU turned down the NIT.

Hope whatever Ben Simmons got was worth it. Good choice Craig Victor.

wow! i wonder, what's the backstory there? i guess we'll hear more during the NIT selection show in half an hour.

also, aren't participating NIT teams exempt from conference revenue sharing? that and the postseason exposure (esp for guys like simmons) should make it worth their while.

btw for @CST, the pac's equal revenue distribution model makes it worth our while to root on fellow p12 teams in the tournament, if for no other reason

We might have been under seeded by a line but to me getting a chance in the 16 to play Nova is worth dropping a slot (if we get to that game)

You have to beat whomever is in front if us and our play in the second half against a 1 seed in Oregon gives me hope we can get there

Gladiator Cat wrote:I hate to say it but I just don't think this team is going to surprise this year.

I think we'll follow our well entrenched trend of sporadic poor outside shooting and mystifying defensive lapses.

That Arizona across our chest this year just won't carry as much power as in the past. The exciting and thankful part is, this is a down year and we should still win our first two games.

Tournament is a guards game, and it has always been the case that guards win in march. York-Trier-Allen need to play really well, not good but great. Maybe eliminate the new tradition of not scoring for 5-8 minutes, oh and free throws. Both have been a problem under Miller.

UAEebs86 wrote:LSU turned down the NIT.

Hope whatever Ben Simmons got was worth it. Good choice Craig Victor.

Turning down some of the other tournaments I guess I MIGHT agree with but turning down the NIT?

Tourney fact, the 6 vs 11 is 12-12 over the last six years. I think we 0lay Wichita St and they have those 2 guys who have been there for 10 years it seems. They also beat Utah by 20+ (at home)

dirtbags wrote:

azcat49 wrote:So we have only 4 guys with tourney game experience while Trier, Tolly, CC, Ryan Anderson and Kadeem Anderson will be new to this.

Hope they are ready

RA and tolly have a little bit of postseason experience in the NIT. oh well. but CSM's been there and done that a number of times, and that'll help carry even an inexperienced team a bunch

Ryan Anderson has never played in a post-season tournament. BC's last appearance was the 2011 NIT. His first season with playing time at BC was 2012-13.

Unless you count being on the bench last year for us.

dirtbags wrote:

UAEebs86 wrote:LSU turned down the NIT.

Hope whatever Ben Simmons got was worth it. Good choice Craig Victor.

wow! i wonder, what's the backstory there? i guess we'll hear more during the NIT selection show in half an hour.

also, aren't participating NIT teams exempt from conference revenue sharing? that and the postseason exposure (esp for guys like simmons) should make it worth their while.

btw for @CST, the pac's equal revenue distribution model makes it worth our while to root on fellow p12 teams in the tournament, if for no other reason

I hear you and with clearer head most seasons would agrees but for this one, screw the PAC and revenue sharing like the PAC screwed me out of watching the PAC 12 tourney.

NYCat wrote:

Gladiator Cat wrote:I hate to say it but I just don't think this team is going to surprise this year.

I think we'll follow our well entrenched trend of sporadic poor outside shooting and mystifying defensive lapses.

That Arizona across our chest this year just won't carry as much power as in the past. The exciting and thankful part is, this is a down year and we should still win our first two games.

Tournament is a guards game, and it has always been the case that guards win in march. York-Trier-Allen need to play really well, not good but great. Maybe eliminate the new tradition of not scoring for 5-8 minutes, oh and free throws. Both have been a problem under Miller.

NYCat,

I completely agree. AT and Allen should be fine. York and PJC just don't give me that warm fuzzy.

Adding to the mix Tollefson is incredible easy to neutralize with long bouts of being invisible.

But as you said guard play will be key.

I cannot find one reason to even be slightly upset for our placement. We didn't win against the top 3 teams in our conference with any kind of consistency (got Cal at home), had a weak OOC schedule this year (some by design, some by happenstance), and we have shown an inability to generate winning possessions in crunch time away from home.

So we get a 6, get a good but non-traditional power #3, get an opening opponent that is, either way, a team that largely underachieved (though WSU has an excuse, but they have been less than impressive even in their later season wins), get a regular season-like 6:30 to 7pm AZ time start in our first game, and if we somehow advance, have a perennially underachieving 2 seed or an equally underwhelming team that upset them (Iowa/Temple doesn't move the needle much for me).

We almost beat Oregon. Almost. We almost blew a 22 point lead to Colorado. We almost won a few road games after falling way behind and scrambling back, only to make mistake after mistake on final possessions. We almost beat Providence...until their star player checked back in after foul trouble and torched us. We had injury issues with Zeus and Trier, but got them back in the mix and...got swept in the Rockies and lost by seed in the PAC tournament. We know as well as any program how important PG play is at this time of year. And we don't have it consistently.

I hope we do well. I even think we could surprise. But I am not sure why we should be better than a 6. We just don't have that moment this year...not a single game where I go "see? Look at us. We are scary." We don't have a signature win away from home.

I agree the committee, by and large, messed up this year. Bad. St Marys and Monmouth got screwed, most notably. There are some seeding lines that make no sense.

But I look at our situation and think "yeah...this is what we earned. And the only thing that scares me is our own potential play."

catgrad97 wrote:CST, it just means that teams were seeded for the biggest potential television audience, not to draw the most fans to the subregional or regional venues.

We're seeing the first full evidence of TV driving NCAA tournament seeds, and I don't like it one bit.

Not just because of how it tosses Arizona around, but because of the blue bloods with dubious resumes allowed in over teams with superior regular seasons.

Thanks G

NYCat wrote:Tournament is a guards game, and it has always been the case that guards win in march. York-Trier-Allen need to play really well, not good but great. Maybe eliminate the new tradition of not scoring for 5-8 minutes, oh and free throws. Both have been a problem under Miller.

I'm with you here. I have no confidence in our guards putting 6 games together. However, Allen showed me a bit the other night.

EVCAT, an opening round game against the #12 team by KenPom. Advance and you get the #13 kenpom team in Miami. Thats just to get to the sweet 16. Then u get #5 Villanova. After that, you get #1 Kansas. Not seeing how this is a good draw at all.

BPI 25, 15, 3, and 5 if you prefer that measurement. Goin by KenPom its the equivalent of getting a 3 seed, the best 4 seed, the best 2 seed, and the best 1.

Not a good draw, deuce, but maybe the draw this Cats team deserves. A challenge, which so far Arizona has not risen to this season, unless you call winning at 11 seed Gonzaga rising to the challenge.

I think CSM will have this team motivated and ready.


Remember:

Zeus and Gabe have been to 3 straight sweet 16s... they will be pumped and ready... knowing every game from here on out can be their last of their AZ career.

Anderson and Tolly came to AZ just for this moment.

Zo is a stud.

Bear Down

I guess I'd agree if KenPom is your metric of choice. Other metrics show Vandy and WSU performance as among the weakest in the field.

I see underachieving Vandy and a WSU team that has won with their star back, but not impressively from the handful of games I have watched. I'd rather play Vandy, but either way, think it is right about where the 6/11 has become, which is a near 50/50 game. Miami is tough, but it should be. Weare a 6 seed...winning round 2 is supposed to be an upset. I am neither of the feeling that we were screwed or helped there, if we get past round 1. Villanova and Kansas represent playing well over seed so the likelihood of matching up with or beating them is distant, but Villanova has been one of the touted 1 seeds (finally fell) that appeared unlike the others in terms of level of play. If I had to pick a 2 to play, it'd be Xavier, followed by Nova, then Oklahoma, then Michigan State. Kansas is very good, and is a #1, so I really don't care about which 1 we get as a 6 seed.

I just don't see how anything we got was undeserved. Vandy/WSU winner is our first game, and that game went off at WSU -3 and is down to 2.5. Seems to me to be almost a toss up which of those two teams we get. I am not saying it is easy...but it is about right with what we deserve

Seth Greenberg has Kansas beating Arizona in the Elite Eight. Respect there.

51% chance of reaching the round of 32 according to Nate Silver's 538.

http://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/201 ... #400871279" target="_blank

Waiting on Kenpom's

Gladiator Cat wrote:
NYCat,

I completely agree. AT and Allen should be fine. York and PJC just don't give me that warm fuzzy.

Adding to the mix Tollefson is incredible easy to neutralize with long bouts of being invisible.

But as you said guard play will be key.

Tollefson is a black hole of offense.

Anecdotal evidence I'm sure but anytime he comes in it just seems like the offense as a team and himself go cold and slow to a crawl. But I'm optimistic he'll come through as a senior leader who's never had a chance to play in the tournament.

For experience level I believe the Pac-12 tourney more than prepares us for the first 2 rounds of the tourney.

I'm fine with our seed, although highly questioning California (they couldn't win on the road outside of Tempe and the state of Washington) and Oregon State's seeds. My real beef is Seton Hall is a 6 seed playing in Denver and we're a 6 seed playing in Providence. Totally spits in the face of what the committee says they try to do. Also why the hell are there 3 PAC 12 teams in the south region? None of this shit makes any sense.

Rgdeuce,

The point is the Cats got a 6 seed and that's exactly what they deserved.

So now their backs are up against the wall with not a cupcake insight and it doesn't look good. I would mention the "ceiling" word but you told me the other day that was all BS, so we shall see if the guys want to play more than one game or head back home and hangout at some pool parties.

Prepares us, azgreg? Yes it does.

Will this team respond? I don't even think Miller knows at this point. I'm sure he'd love to just say, "Do what we do," but the problem is, what does this team do--at least consistently?

York, as everyone knows by now, is either hot or cold.

Zeus, as most everyone understands by now, must be gameplanned for on defense but doesn't have the hands to come out of nowhere and post a 20-point, 10-rebound game against RPI top 50 programs, regardless of how big a mismatch he has down low.

You have to wonder where Tollefsen's head is after missing the free throw Friday.

We still don't even know whether Ristic or Trier are committed to returning to the program next season or have one foot out the door.

This team had its opportunity to surprise in the conference tournament, was literally HANDED that opportunity and performed to its seed anyway.

There are just too many rotation players with physical limitations they have not transcended to suddenly expect they'll do it now for this Arizona team.

As far as the mental approach goes, we assume as fans these guys don't want to end their careers, but as Gladiator Cat alluded to, that doesn't mean they're all TJ McConnells like that.

Not saying flat out anyone's auditioning for the next level here, but truthfully, Sean Miller is the biggest fighter for this team in its corner right now. And he can't play the games.

Bottom line, as much as I'd like to, I can't even put Arizona past the Sweet 16 in my own bracket. We should feel very lucky if the Cats make it that far.